UNITY... FAITH, EXCELLENCE, SERVICE HOME BULLETIN October 1, 2018

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1 UNITY... FAITH, EXCELLENCE, SERVICE HOME BULLETIN October 1, LATE START: Wednesday, October 3, will be our first late start. For all students riding a bus, the bus schedule will remain the same and you will arrive early (normal bus schedule time). For students who drive or arrive other than a bus, school will begin at 8:25 a.m. (first bell rigs at 8:20 a.m.) 2. PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE DATES AND TIMES FOR OCTOBER: Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on the following dates and times in Unity s multipurpose gym: Monday, October 8 Tuesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 10 Thursday, October 11 Friday, October 12 Full day of school Conferences from 6:00 8:30 p.m. Full day of school Full day of school Full day of school Conferences from 6:00 8:30 p.m. Early Dismissal (12:25 p.m.) Conferences from 1:30 3:30 p.m. 3. SCHOOL PICTURES: To view and order your son/daughter s school picture, visit Click on the appropriate folder (9 th, 10 th, 11 th, 12 th ) and enter password: ucpictures2018. Pictures will be mailed 5-7 days after the order has been placed. Inside This Issue Late Start Page 1 Choir News Page 3 Fall Sports Update Page 7 Parent/Teacher Conf. Page 1 Band News Page 3 Senior All-Nighter Page 8 School Pictures Page 1 Orchestra News Page 4 Moms In Prayer Page 8 Parent Connect Page 2 Fall Musical Page 4 PACE 2017/18 Page 9 Transportation Page 2 Guidance Info. Page 4 Education Foundation Mtg. Page 9 Student Council Page 2 SaderFest Page 5 UC Business Directory Page 9 Service Opportunities Page 3 CRU Cards Page 6 Revive Page 10 Bittersweet Passes Page 3 Coaching Opportunities Page 7 Prayer Calendar Page 10 Senior Pictures Page 3 Winter Sports Tryouts Page 7 Requested Announcements Page 10 Yearbook Signing Party Page 3 Cancer Awareness Night Page 7 School Calendar Page 10 1

2 4. PARENT CONNECT is Unity s parent portal for viewing student information. By logging into the Parent Connect website, you may view student data items such as current course grades, daily schedule, transcript, attendance, etc. You should note that what you are viewing on the initial page after logging in is not a daily schedule, but rather a list of addresses of your student s teachers. To view a schedule, click on the appropriate tab on the left. The web address is: For your convenience, a link to this URL is provided under the Academics tab on Unity s website If you have a problem or have forgotten your Parent Connect Login ID or Password, call Judy Mulder at or her at jmulder@unitychristian.org. 5. TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION FOR UNITY STUDENTS WHO RIDE HUDSONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSES: Early Release Fridays for Hudsonville Public: October 12 January 11 November 2 February 1 December 14 April 12 On these dates: AM busing from UCHS and Hudsonville will run as normal In PM, UCHS will provide Bus #03 for students who ride south & east of school; Bus #04 for students who ride north and west of school. Unity buses will run as normal There will be NO Hudsonville Public busing on Wednesday, November 21. Students must provide their own transportation to school. In the afternoon after Grandparents Day, Unity Bus #03 will provide transportation home to students who ride south & east of school; Bus #04 for students who ride north and west of school. 6. STUDENT COUNCIL: This year s Student Council is made up of 18 members from the sophomore through senior class. The officers are Andrew DeBruin, President; Becca Ziel, Vice President; Britta DeLong, Secretary; Nicole LeFebre, Correspondent. Mr. Mark TeSlaa and Mr. Chris Achterhof are the faculty advisors. 2

3 7. UNITY STUDENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES: We are off to another great start for our student involvement with service projects! There are plenty of opportunities for our students to get involved with a wide range of different activities. But we are still looking for new and different opportunities. If you are aware of any, please contact Scott Soodsma at Some service projects we have done already and are scheduled to do include: Crossroads Prison Ministries Love Inc. Comprenew Bingo Night at Degage Ministries The agencies we have served so far greatly appreciate the work our students do. So please encourage your son or daughter to get involved. They will help serve and be blessed in return. 8. BITTERSWEET SKI PASSES will be on sale at Unity October Passes will be sold during break and lunch to students. Passes will also be available in the office during school hours (7:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.). Student passes are $17. Adult passes (non-students over the age of 18) will also be available for $17. Once you have purchased your pass, lift ticket and rental prices are reduced to $17 each for students and $21 each for adults. Nondiscounted rates are $38 for lift tickets and $21 for rentals. Essentially, the pass pays for itself even if you only ski once this winter. If you have any questions, contact Rob Bosma at SENIOR PICTURES: The deadline for senior pictures and baby pictures for the 2019 yearbook is December 1, We would prefer pictures be sent to us digitally in jpeg format (ucyearbook@unitychristian.org). We will also accept one of the wallet photos students hand out to friends. Please be sure that it is at least a waist or higher photo. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Brink at school ( ). 10. YEARBOOK SIGNING PARTY: The yearbook party will be held Wednesday, November 21, from 12:45 1:30 p.m., in the commons for all alumni from the class of All Unity students will receive their yearbook at the end of their 8 th period class. 11. CHOIR NEWS: The Choral Concert will be held on Thursday, October 4, 8:00 p.m., at Fair Haven Ministries in Hudsonville. 12. BAND NEWS: Band uniforms have been sent home for most students. Please make sure that their uniforms are home and fit well. The bands will be marching in the Hudsonville Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 17. Come support the band as they march down 32 nd Avenue in Hudsonville! Our Winter Concert is on Monday, December 3, at 7:30 in the Unity gym. 3

4 13. ORCHESTRA NEWS: Orchestra uniforms have been sent home. Please make sure that everything fits your student well and they have their uniforms at home with them. Chamber Strings will be performing in HARK UP this year at Grand Rapids Christian High School. We are super excited about this opportunity. More details to come. The dates are Monday, November 26, and Wednesday, November 28. Dress rehearsal is on November 29, with performances on November 30 (7:30 show), December 1 (3:00 and 7:30 shows), and December 2 (3:00 show). Please do everything in your power to keep these dates open and free for your string student. More details and information will be coming home soon. 14. FALL MUSICAL NEWSIES: Unity Christian is proud to present Newsies this fall under the direction of Mrs. Ashton Foreman. Performances are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on November 29 and 30 and at 5:00 p.m. on December 1 at the Hudsonville High School Auditorium on Allen Street. Ticket Sales NEW THIS YEAR: Ticket sales will now be sold online. Please go to Unity s website ( and click on Theatre Tickets under the News and Events tab. You will be able to pick your own seats and pay online. At the final ticket payment section, you will be given the opportunity to sponsor the musical with your additional donation. Those who donate $10.00 or more will be listed as a Musical Theater sponsor on the program. There are two ticket release dates: October 1 - Early release tickets go on sale for $14 each November 12 General tickets go on sale for $8 For handicap seating, please call the Unity office at UNITY DIRECTIONS AND DUE DATES FROM THE GUIDANCE STAFF: Mr. Bill Postma - Director of Instruction Mrs. Julie Essebaggers Middle Schools; International Students Mr. Randy Heethuis Counselor, (A - K) Mr. Dan Sanders Counselor, (L - Z) Mrs. Cyndi Post - Specialist in learning disabilities Freshmen: Counselors met with freshmen to explain the services available to them through the Guidance Office. Counselors have also been meeting with freshmen on a student or teacher request basis. Sophomores: Sophomores are allowed to sign up for the PSAT until all seats are filled (see information about the PSAT under Juniors ). The PSAT prepares students for the SAT which will be taken their junior year as part of the Michigan Merit Exam. The SAT is also what will be used for college admission and scholarship decisions. For additional practice, sophomores will be taking the PSAT 10 this spring. Sophomores with a strong academic record are encouraged to take the PSAT. 4

5 Juniors: Juniors will be taking the PSAT, which is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. This test will be given on Wednesday, October 10, during morning classes. Counselors have met with all juniors to explain the importance of this test. Students should sign up in the school office. Cost is $16. The PSAT is a great practice test for the juniors who will be taking the SAT later this spring. Seniors: Seniors are currently meeting individually with counselors to review credits for graduation and the work they need to do in order to get ready for life after high school. This work involves career ideas, jobs, college applications, and scholarship/financial aid applications. Seniors have been given a packet with information on all of these areas. Scholarship opportunities can be researched using various online websites such as Additional information is also made known to students through the daily Student Bulletin. Below is a sample of scholarships currently being offered: o AES Engineering Scholarships Oct. 6 o American Legion Scholarships o Central Michigan University Centralis Scholarship and CMU Leader Advancement Scholarship Program o Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship Nov. 15 o Rick Heerema Unity Tuition Scholarship entering military o Hugh and Eve Meeter Calvinism Award (Scholarship) Feb. 1 o MHSAA Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Due to Mr. Heethuis by November 21 o Michigan Tech Scholarship Program Oct. 15 o Northern Michigan University Presidential Scholars Competition Oct. 19 o SAE Engineering Scholarship March 15 o MSPE Engineering Scholarship Feb. 1 Student college applications are pouring in to counselors. Students planning on applying to Grand Valley, Michigan State, and University of Michigan have been encouraged to get applications done as soon as possible. Students are strongly encouraged to have their college applications completed by November 15. Some colleges have a November 1 deadline for early decision. As of October 1, families can complete the FAFSA for college financial aid. One parent and the student need to have a FAFSA ID number. These can be created at the FAFSA website which is Click on the FSAID tab and following the directions. 16. SADERFEST: This fun event was held on Friday, September 28, and raised over $50,000 for the athletic program at Unity Christian. Thank you to our students for the effort they put forth in obtaining sponsors, and also to all who donated individually or as a business sponsor to this event! 5

6 17. CRU CARDS: If your son or daughter is planning to try out for a winter sport, he/she must have a CRU Card prior to trying out each season. CRU Cards are given out by the athletic office and are a way for us to track all the necessary paperwork prior to the start of the season. Below is a list of requirements that must be completed for student athletes to receive a CRU Card. CRU Cards are required by the coaches the first day of tryouts/practice for athletes to participate. Physical dated after April 15, 2018 turned in to the athletic office (physical forms are available by clicking here). ImPACT Baseline Concussion Testing complete To be done every other year. Athletes in all winter sports EXCEPT bowling need to have an up to date ImPACT test. ImPACT testing will be held on October 9 from 3:15 4:00 p.m., October 23 from 7:00 7:45 a.m., and October 31 from 3:00 3:15 p.m. in the blue computer room at school. You can go to to sign up for ImPACT testing. Academic Eligibility & Transfer Eligibility To be completed by the athletic office. Register and complete the required FinalForms paperwork. This includes medical information, travel permission, and athletic handbooks. Access our site by clicking here: If your son or daughter participated in a fall sport and they plan on a winter sport, please log into FinalForms to make sure information is updated and they are marked down as trying out for a winter sport. Some Notes on FinalForms: If you already have or have had a student athlete at Unity, you are probably familiar with FinalForms. If FinalForms is new to you, you can check out the Parent Playbook that is on the Unity Athletics website under Crusader Headquarters for instructions on signing up. Your student must log in separately to FinalForms with the that you use for them. Please make sure you have your student s correct address to make sure that they get the invitation to sign in to read and sign the commitment form. We will also be using FinalForms this coming school year for student information needed in the main office. When you log into FinalForms for the general high school forms (you will receive a separate prompting you to do this), remember to use the same log-in that you created for athletics. Once the requirements are met, athletes can stop in the Athletic Office to pick up their CRU Card during lunch starting Tuesday, October 23. 6

7 Insurance -- Unity requires that all athletes have primary insurance. Unity offers secondary insurance. Students whose family does not have insurance or has My Child insurance must contact the Athletic Director who will provide information about temporary insurance during the athlete s sport season. 18. COACHING OPPORTUNITIES: Unity Christian has coaching vacancies for Head JV Girls Tennis and Assistant Varsity Softball. We are searching for individuals who have a passion for the Lord, enjoy working with high school students, and can successfully lead or assist in these respective high school programs. If you have any interest or know of someone who might have interest, please contact Unity Christian Athletic Director Jeff Engbers at or jengbers@unitychristian.org. An application can be found on our athletic website ( More tab, Coach Openings ) or by clicking HERE. 19. WINTER SPORTS TRYOUTS: Remember if your son or daughter is planning to try out for a winter sport and has not yet turned in a physical to the office dated after April 15, 2018, he/she must do so in order to participate in practice or tryouts. The first date for tryout/practices for winter sports is: October 29 Hockey (cooperative program with HPS) November 5 Boys Basketball November 12 Girls Basketball, Bowling, Wrestling November 19 Boys Swimming (cooperative program with HPS) 20. CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT GAME: Thank you to all who purchased a T-shirt, donated money, and/or attended the Unity Christian/South Christian Cancer Awareness Night Game on September 21. It was a great event that raised just over $12,000 for Starlite Shores Family Camp, the Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, and the Van Andel Cancer Research Institute. We thank you for your generous support! 21. FALL SPORTS UPDATE (as of 10/1/18) Cross Country Boys 2-2 Girls 1-3 Football Varsity 5-1 JV 3-3 Freshmen

8 Golf Girls Varsity th Place at Scott Family Invite 7 th Place at Jenison Invite Katie Blauw new school record (36) Team 9-hole new school record (170a) Currently 2 nd in conference JV 3-0 Currently 1 st in conference Soccer Boys Varsity JV Freshman Swimming Girls 1-5 Tennis Boys Varsity 2-12 JV th Place at Zeeland Invite Volleyball Varsity JV 14-4 Freshmen Equestrian Club Finished 4 th in D Division 22. SENIOR ALL-NIGHTER: Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered their time so far with donut sales and the apple pie sales! We still have some open shifts for apple pie making, and some open shifts for donut sales. Please use the Sign-Up Genius links below to sign-up to help. Apple pie shifts: Donut sales shifts: Seniors will continue to sell Key Cards for $25 through the month of December or they can be purchased at the school office as well. Many thanks to those of you who already purchased them. 23. ATTENTION ALL MOTHERS: Moms in Prayer welcomes any mother who would like to pray one hour each week for the Unity staff, students, and their own children. Please join us each Monday from 1:30 2:30 p.m. or Friday from 7:30 8:30 a.m. We have witnessed answered prayers and been blessed to bond as moms as we lift up our concerns and praises to Jehovah! PLEASE JOIN US ANY TIME THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. If you have any questions, please contact Deb Gaffner at

9 24. PACE 2018/2019: Unity s annual fund drive for tuition assistance will kick-off the week of October 15. PACE provides funds that help keep Christian education affordable. This year s theme is, Preparing Young Hearts & Minds for Christ s Service. Giving to PACE ensures that every student who comes to Unity receives an education that is Christcentered, Bible-based, academically-excellent, and focuses on serving God and others. When YOU say yes to PACE, the students of Unity your sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, nieces, and nephews all benefit. From the funds raised by PACE, $175,000 is designated for grants-in-aid of $275 per student. Another $165,000 is designated for tuition assistance for families who want their children to attend Unity but financially would not be able to, and who demonstrate this need based on their financial application. The final $65,000 will go to capital needs/improvements. Consider this Once again, we have a matching gifts challenge. For every new or increased financial gift from last year to PACE, we receive a match (up to $50,000). That means your increased or new gift is doubled! So, please prayerfully consider how you will respond when our fundraising partner J. Milito & Associates, Inc. calls on you. Please remember to pray for PACE and the $400,000 needed to sustain and provide for Christian education for ALL students and then respond generously. Thank You! 25. ANNUAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION MEETING: Tuesday, October 23, 7:00 a.m. The Unity Christian Education Foundation Trustees invite you to the Annual Education Foundation Meeting that will be help on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00 a.m. in Room 121, at Unity Christian High School, th Avenue, Hudsonville, Michigan For more information or an agenda, please contact Jack Lutke at UC BUSINESS DIRECTORY: As a business, organization, and/or a parent of a Unity Christian High School student you support Unity either through event or scholarship sponsorship, or as a UC patron of the Education Foundation, PACE or the Building Unity campaign, or through tuition and we want YOU to be included in the UC Business Directory at no cost to you! This directory is available on the UC website at We encourage Unity families to support and utilize the local businesses and services listed. (Printed copies are available upon request.) If you would like your business or organization listed, please contact the Development Office at development@unitychristian.org, or call , BY January 1. (If you are already listed, please visit the website to view your current listing to make sure it is still correct.) Please Indicate: The correct listing of the business/organization name, address & phone Website information The contact name The category or type of business 9

10 27. REVIVE: Revive celebrates its 8 th Anniversary this October! Wow! God has blessed us so abundantly these last 8 years. With increasing numbers of shoppers and donors as well as new record-breaking sales numbers every year, Revive is very grateful to be supporting our schools and serving our community in this way. It s great to be 8! Help Revive celebrate 8 years by shopping the week of October 1-6. We re putting the entire store on sale every day! Plus enter to win an $80 Gift Package to Licari s Restaurant and Revive! Monday 10% off most EVERYTHING in the store! Tuesday 20% off most EVERYTHING in the store! Wednesday 30% off most EVERYTHING in the store! Thursday 40% off most EVERYTHING in the store! Friday 50% off most EVERYTHING in the store! Saturday 60% off most EVERYTHING in the store! (some exclusions may apply) 28. PRAYER CALENDAR: The Prayer Calendar is located on our website or by clicking here. 29. REQUESTED ANNOUNCEMENTS: Covenant Christian Craft Show will be held on Saturday, October 27, from 9am 3pm. There will be 100+ handcrafted booths to shop from! Enjoy cinnamon rolls and coffee in the morning and pizza or a sub for lunch, followed by a slice of homemade pie or homemade gourmet cookies. Don t forget to pick up a treat for Sunday coffee at the bake sale. Admission is $1 for adults. All proceeds to benefit the band and booster s programs at CCHS. For more information, visit us online at or find us on Facebook. Address: 1401 Ferndale Avenue SW, Grand Rapids. Jenison Christian School will have its annual Fall Arts & Crafts Fest on Saturday, November 3, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. (7726 Graceland Drive, Jenison). Admission is free. Lunch will be available. For more information, visit our Support JCS or craftshow@jenisonchristian.org. 30. CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, & DECEMBER: October 2 October 4 October 8 October 11 October 12 October Band/Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m., Fair Haven Ministries Choir Concert, 8:00 p.m., Fair Haven Ministries Parent/Teacher Conferences, 6:00 8:30 p.m. Parent/Teacher Conferences, 6:00 8:30 p.m. Parent/Teacher Conferences, 1:30 3:30 p.m. Early Dismissal CEA Convention No School 10

11 November 16 November 18 November 21 November 21 November 22, 23 Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1 December 3 December 10 December 17 December 19, 20, 21 December 22 Jan. 6 Blood Drive Holiday Parade Bands Grandparents Day (10:45 12:45 p.m.); 12:45 p.m. dismissal Yearbook Signing Party, 12:45 1:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Break no school Newsies, Hudsonville High School Fine Arts Auditorium 7:00 p.m. Thursday & Friday, 5:00 p.m. Saturday Band Concert, 7:30 p.m., Unity s Gym Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m., Fair Haven Ministries Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m., Fair Haven Ministries Finals Christmas Break 11